With the NBA season set to begin today, It only makes sense to do an over-and-under-prediction for conference seedings. It’s different from the typical over-and-under that most blogs and podcasts do. It is dependent on where teams will finish in the conference standings.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are favorites at the under ( 5.5, -140). Although, betting on the over is an easy choice. There is no world where the Nuggets finish as the sixth seed in the conference. They finished as the sixth seed last season with a much worse roster. They have Jamal Murray and Michal Porter Jr returning to the team this year after missing last season due to injuries.
They ranked sixth in offensive rating last season. They will have an even more potent offense. They added two good defenders in Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell Pope. Both guys will be part of the rotation and provide them with more diversity defensively.
The Nuggets will likely finish in the top four in the conference with the depth on their team. Going with the over (5.5, +110) is a good bet considering all the talent and depth they have. They have continuity from previous years that will allow them to build off the success they had in past seasons.
Prediction: Over (5.5, +110)
Cleveland Cavaliers
The next pick is the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers are favorites at the under (6.5, -145). The Cavaliers are much improved this season with the addition of Donovan Mitchell. Going with the over (6.5, +110) is a no-brainer. The Cavaliers were in the top four seeds last season for a good portion of the year. They lost their footing and dropped to the 7th seed due to injuries. They eventually finished as the ninth seed due to losing in the play-in game.
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen missed time during pivotal moments last season. The Cavaliers suffered from their absence. They struggled to play great defense with them out of the lineup. This year the team will be better after a year of playing together. Mobley will be much improved entering his sophomore season. He will better understand concepts and schemes on both ends of the floor.
Last year the Cavaliers were ranked 20th in offensive rating. With the addition of Donovan Mitchell, he will help a lot with their offense as he gives them a go-to scorer. His career regular-season average is 23.9 ppg and his postseason career average is 28 ppg. He can score with the best of them and gets better when the games matter more. They also have Caris Levert, who will give them a scorer off the bench. He will provide depth and be a reliable option when Mitchel or Garland are resting.
The Cavaliers have one of the best young cores in the league. Their young guys got a taste of the postseason from the play-in games. Their experience from losing in those games will make them better for this season. They may not experience postseason success, but they will experience regular-season success. They will play hard and compete most nights. They have the fresh legs to beat many teams in the league on a nightly basis.
Prediction: Over (6.5, +110)
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are the next team on the list. Currently, the Lakers are favorites at the over (6.5, -140). There is no world where the Lakers get a guaranteed playoff seed. It’s not happening. There are too many holes on the team. They still have several players that can’t shoot. There’s also a lot of redundancy on their roster.
They currently have four-point guards on their team. Out of those four, only one is a decent shooter. What makes it even worse is they acquired Beverly to be a 3 and D wing player. The level of delusion is ridiculous. For his career, he’s shooting 40% from the field. He's a below-average shooter. It’s crazy they are going into the season expecting him to be a floor spacer.
The Lakers are still dealing with an injury-prone Anthony Davis. He struggles to stay healthy every season. It would be naive to expect him to play most of the season when he hasn’t for the last few years.. For them to have a successful season, they will need him to lead them and be the number one option. It’s asking a lot of him, but it’s their only path to success.
Westbrook continues to be an issue for them. They will likely trade him at some point. He’s not a playmaker and can’t hit shots from the perimeter with consistency. He presents more problems than solutions. Picking the Lakers at the under (6.5, +110) is the obvious choice, given their offseason. They have a lot of issues that still have to be taken care of for them to be legit contenders.
Prediction: Under (6.5, +110)
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are the last team on the list. It may surprise some folks, but given their current roster and talent, the Pistons are a good team to bet on. They are favorites at the under (13.5, -180).
The Pistons finished as the 14th seed in the East last season. They ranked 28th in offensive rating and 24th in defensive rating. During the summer, they drafted Jaden Ivey. They also received Bojan Bogdanovic. He will add some shooting to the lineup and a floor spacer to their rotation. They no longer have Jerami Grant, but his loss will be addition by subtraction. They went to him too much on offense. He struggled to score with efficiency.
The Pistons will put the ball in Cade Cunningham's hands more this year. He will be their primary playmaker. At 6’6, he’s a big guard who will present problems for opposing point guards. The Pistons will have an advantage by moving him to the point guard position. The Pistons' offense will be more free-flowing now that Cunningham has the reins of the point guard position.
With coach Dwayne Casey leading the team, the Pistons will play hard and compete on the defensive end. This bet is not a bet on the Pistons to become a playoff team. It’s a bet that the Pistons will not be one of the worst two teams in the Eastern Conference. Their style of play will allow them to make the improvements needed to be better than they were last year. They still need a lot of development from their young guys to be a legitimate playoff threat.
Prediction: Over (13.5, +140)
*These odds are based on DraftKings Sportsbook.
*Disclaimer - Outervu.com is not responsible for any decisions made, financial or otherwise, based on information or links provided by us.